Of Nettakallappa's indelible legacy in Karnataka sports

It was the late 50s, and a young Prakash Padukone -- in really short shorts no doubt -- was practicing his game at Canara Union’s wedding hall in Malleswaram.

K A Nettakallappa. Credit: Special Arrangement

Shuttle badminton wasn’t in vogue at the time, ball badminton had more of a patronage, so Prakash was left to his own devices on part-time courts in a sport that was still mostly only fashionable among older folk and those from the Cantonment region of Bangalore.

That was until KA Nettakallappa -- former managing director of Deccan Herald and Prajavani -- and Ramesh Padukone -- Prakash’s father -- established the Mysore Badminton Association (MBA). MBA would eventually become the Karnataka State Badminton Association, and Prakash would eventually become one of the greatest proponents of badminton in the world.

In fact, plans for the new association were laid out at DH-PVs offices on MG Road, just as they were when it came to establishing the Mysore Olympic Association (MOA) in 1958. MOA would go on to become the Karnataka Olympic Association.

Adopted by KN Guruswamy -- the founder of DH-PV -- from his brother KN Anjanappa, Nettakallappa took after his adopter and his philanthropic ways, especially when it came to promoting sports in the region.

“With Guruswamy it was all about loyalty, he was feudal in the best way possible,” says PG Belliappa, former Bangalore Turf Club chairman. “He would spend money out of his own pocket to ensure sport was in a good state.”

Nettakallappa did much the same.

“I was selected for an Under-19 tournament in Madras (now Chennai). I was 12 then. With MOA (Mysore Olympic Association) still in its infancy, I was forced to bear my own expenses and my father was not in a position to afford it. That's when Nettakallappa intervened and sponsored my Chennai trip,” reminisced Prakash not long ago.

“If my memory serves me right, he gave me Rs 150 to Rs 200, quite a big sum then, which was enough to meet the needs of me and my brother.”

Former international athlete Uday Prabhu remembers Nettakallappa for the support he had extended to budding athletes like him. "I used to travel from Ankola in Uttara Kannada district to Bengaluru to take part in athletic meets organised by Deccan Athletic Club (DAC),” he reminisced. “It was a practice for athletes to visit Nettakallappa's house after every meet. He used to boost our morale with pep talks and provide financial assistance to athletes.”

Nettakallappa had served as general secretary of the KOA before being elevated to the vice-president of the Indian Olympic Association. He helmed the state weightlifting association, the mountaineering body and the Karnataka Billiards Association. He was also instrumental in founding the DAC in 1972.

DAC has since churned out Olympians such as Kenneth Powell, Uday Prabhu, Sunil Abraham and David Premnath among others. Regular DAC meets at the Sree Kanteerava stadium have provided a platform for budding and star athletes alike to test their mettle.

Besides his direct contribution to sports in the State, Nettakallappa also ensured that sports would be highlighted during his stint in DH-PV. At a time when sports coverage was restricted to bits and pieces of information, Prajavani became the first Kannada newspaper to have a page dedicated to sports in the early 60s.

Once Nettakallappa’s sons - KN Hari Kumar, KN Tilak Kumar and KN Shanth Kumar - took charge of The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited, sports coverage continued to take precedence, and the family’s philanthropic touch with sports has rarely abated.

"I remember Nettakallappa sir giving me awards when I started off my career as a basketball player, he was the president of the Karnataka State Basketball Association (KSBBA) at the time," says K Govindaraj, the FIBA Asia president.

"He used to buy shoes and kit people, who could not afford those things, out of his own pocket. I can sincerely say that after watching people like him do so much for sports, athletes like me were inspired to become administrators and dedicate our lives to serving sports."

Govindaraj recalled being invited for the opening of the Nettakallappa Aquatic Centre in 2012, and said that the new generation is carrying on the 'grand legacy of a great man'.

"That facility is a testament to Nettakallappa's love for all things related to sports," he says.